Chapter 93
Downstairs in the Kankers den, the three Ed boys had decided to make their way towards the cooler to retrieve some refreshments. As the boys each retrieved there drink of choice, conversing happily as they did so, Marie and May remained completely focused on the stairs, confused regarding their normally stoic sisters upbeat attitude.
"Well that was weird," said Marie.
"Tell me about it!" said May as she took a bite out of the hotdog she cradled in her left hand, "I ain't seen Lee that happy since...well you know."
"Yeah," said Marie, "I'm not complaining, I would rather see Lee happy than depressed like she was the other day, but making new friends isn't necessarily her style."
Marie sighed.
"Well unfortunately that's the least of my worries," said Marie, "I have to figure out how to explain why Double Dee didn't get a gift from me tomorrow morning."
"You couldn't get it?" asked May, "I thought you had enough?"
"It's not that," said Marie, "The company is back logged, due to them making charitable donations to children who are hospitalized all over the country. At this time it takes priority, as it most definitely should. I just don't want to see my dream boat disappointed...I've done everything I could to try to change his life, God knows I have. It just isn't meant to be..."
"Marie," said May, "I'm sure Double Dee would understand if you explained it to him."
"I know," said Marie, "I just wanted our first Christmas to be special."
Marie wiped away a small tear forming in her exposed eye, after which she turned her attention back to the stairs.
"For now, let's see what kind of surprise Lee has in store for us," said Marie.
May nodded in agreement, and proceeded to take a sip of her soda. A few moments passed, at which point the Ed boys rejoined their girlfriends, promptly engaging in another conversation.
Almost immediately, Lee descended the staircase, planting the sharp heels of her black boots on the ground with two audible thuds. Wasting no time, she decided to introduce her mystery guest using her typical "tough talking" voice.
"Yo guys," said Lee in a stern and authoritative manner, prompting all in the room to glance in the direction of the stairwell, "Guess who decided to stop by."
The entire basement observed as a familiar leather boot slowly extended from behind the wall encasing the stairs. As the expensive pointed heel planted itself on the red carpeted floor, a series of three long fingers (this is supposed to be in Antonnucci style after all) gripped the wooden railing for balance, their normally hot-pink fingernails now painted with a shade of holiday silver.
Although it seemed like an eternity passed for the nervous Lindsay, it took all but three seconds for her to fully emerge from the stairwell. The entire cul-de-sac remained silent as Lindsay took her place next to a giggling Lee, all of them jaws wide open with surprise.
Lindsay scanned her surroundings, observing all nine individuals in sequence. As expected, she was met with varying degrees of facial expressions, ranging from surprise to anger. Seeing no other alternative than an attempt to break the ice, Lindsay lifted her left hand in the air, delivering a feminine wave as a slight shade of red overcame her nervous face.
"Hello everybody," said Lindsay in a sheepish manner, "Merry...Christmas?"
With the exception of the soft sounds of the guests chatting above, and the gentle sound of "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" playing in the background, the entire room was completely silent. Lee eventually decided to interject as she rolled her eyes.
"Jesus Christ," said Lee, "Didn't your parents teach ya that when a guest politely greets ya, you're supposed to greet them back?"
"Is this some kind of a joke?" asked Marie in an angry, cackling intonation.
"Check the calendar Little Sister," said Lee, "It's Christmas, not April Fools Day, no jokes here."
"What the hell is she doing in our house, and at our Christmas party at that?" asked Marie in an aggressive manner, "She's an evil, cold-hearted manipulator, she's not welcome here!"
At the sound of Marie's words, Lindsay glanced towards the floor;a disheartened expression appearing on her face as she did so. Lee decided to respond with an explanation.
"Alright tough girl," said Lee, "Wrap that tongue up for a few minutes and let me explain the situation before you jump to conclusions."
Marie reluctantly backed down, folding her arms while relaxing her pelvis in a manner that seemed to indicate annoyance, providing her full and undivided attention to Lee along with everyone else.
"Alright first of all let me come clean with all of youse," said Lee, "With the exception of these two knuckleheads I call sisters, none of ya are privy to the fact that Lindsay and have known each other since kindergarten and have been best friends ever since. Unfortunately, some extenuating circumstances I am not a liberty to discuss put a hamper on our friendship for a few years, but that's all behind us."
Lee placed her arm around Lindsay.
"I know Lindsay got kind of a rough start with you guys, but trust me it ain't her fault," said Lee, "She's a great person at heart, and unless you guys have been living under a rock for the last year, you know I just don't say that about everyone. Lindsay is more than aware that she was pretty much a thorn in all of our sides, but she's willing to make a fresh start, right Liz?"
Lindsay paused for a few seconds, at which point she decided to reply.
"Yes..." said Lindsay in a nervous manner, "I'm sorry everyone for being such a pain. I was living a lie, putting on a charade to appease others because I was too afraid to be myself. Unfortunately, it resulted in many of you being hurt, including my bestie LeeLee. If you guys could ever forgive me, I would really like to start over and get to know you guys as friends."
Still without response from their peers, Lee decided to continue.
"Well said Liz," said Lee as she ran her fingers through her hair with a smile. She then turned back towards her friends with a determined expression.
"All's I ask is that everyone try to put away the past, open up your hearts, and see Lindsay for who she really is," said Lee, "It's Christmas after all right? Peace, goodwill and all that other shit that goes along with it tells us that we should see the good in people, and share peace and love with those willing to exchange it. Doesn't everyone deserve a chance to change their ways? You should embrace it most of all Marie, if Double Dee hadn't given you a chance to show him who you really were, we might not be here celebrating Christmas with our awesome boyfriends, and all of our new friends, right?"
Marie's eyes widened with shock at Lee's bold statement; as much as she hated Lindsay for all she had done, there was no doubt that her older sister, who acted as a second mother, a stabilizing influence, and a moral conscience to her ever since she was a little girl, was right once again. The red heads words seemed to trigger thoughts within the black haired Kankers head, causing her anger to slightly disappear.
In spite of Lee's beautiful soliloquy regarding the holiday spirit, the surprised group elected to remain silent. Lee eventually decided to continue, speaking in a bold manner.
"Look, the bottom line is Lindsay and I are besties, and we plan on hanging out together as much as practically possible," said Lee, "She's here to stay whether you like it or not, so the easiest thing to do is just accept her as our thirteenth friend. I'm sure all of you can find common ground with her, she's got quite the impressive skill set."
Near the snack table, the three Ed boys remained fixated on Lee's position, seemingly paralyzed with surprise as they witnessed the events unfold before them. Of course, Double Dee, being privy to the past shared between Lee and Lindsay, and being the morally conscious person he was, was quite ecstatic regarding the rekindling of the girls friendship. Accordingly, the young man adopted a heartfelt smile, and decided to deliver his thoughts regarding the situation.
However, just as Double Dee opened his mouth to begin speaking, he was beaten to the punch by his diminutive friend.
"I accept!" said Eddy.
Double Dee turned towards his friend with an air of confusion, as did everyone else in the room. The group watched as Eddy took a few steps towards Lee, carrying a red plastic cup full of soda in his right hand.
"I'm with ya babe," said Eddy, "I mean, it's obvious that you're hell bent on making this happen, and if I learned anything from dating ya for the last few months, it's to always let you win!"
"Smart man!" said Lee in a flirty manner, after which she giggled.
"But seriously, obviously being friends with Lindsay makes you happy," said Eddy, "And just like you said a few minutes ago, it's Christmas, a time for forgiveness and...whatever, I ain't good at these types of things. All's I'll say is that I trust your moral judgement, and if you say Lindsay is good people, than I say welcome to the cul-de-sac Lindsay!"
Eddy looked up into Lindsay's eyes with a smile.
"She made the right call by choosing you as a friend!" said Eddy, using a statement he had made a few days ago upon confronting Lindsay regarding her emotional conflict. Lindsay, understanding the inside connection, simply smiled, providing confirmation to the stout Ed boy that his words of wisdom were well received.
"See, I knew I could count on you Sweetie," said Lee as she kneeled down, wrapping her arms around Eddy in a tight manner, "I expected nothing less from the man I lo...look to for all my emotional support."
Lee delivered Eddy a long drawn out kiss on the cheek, causing the Ed boy to blush and smile.
From a distance, Double Dee continued to observe the wonderful events occurring before him. As Eddy rubbed his cheek, the sock headed Ed boy decided to interject with a comment of his own.
"I second Eddy's notion," said Double Dee.
"What?" asked Marie, somewhat surprised at Double Dee's comment.
"I believe wholeheartedly in the spirit of forgiveness," said Double Dee, "And I would like nothing more than to see an additional member added to our colorful cast of characters! After all, the 'conflict', a major component of the traditional story format, would have been non-existent in this fan fiction if Ms. Statorowski did not exist."
Double Dee giggled slightly.
"Lindsay," said Double Dee, "I would be honored if you assimilated into our wonderful peer group, and celebrated the holidays with us."
"Alright," said Lee, "That's two. Anyone else got anything to say?"
"New friend for Ed!" yelled Ed, "We're the three ah-me-goes, and if Lindsay's friends with Eddy and Double Dee, than she's a friend of Ed too!"
"Ed, the proper Spanish pronunciation is amigos," said Double Dee, "But nevertheless, you're point in no less valid."
"If Ed agrees, than so do I!" said May with a smile.
"Seriously?," asked Marie as she turned towards May, "Did you forget about all of the times she made fun of your teeth, or picked on you for being an athlete."
"Me and Ed are a team," said May, "He's a friend to everyone, and even though I treated him bad when we first met he managed to forgive me and eventually become my boyfriend. If that taught me anything, it's to take chances and open up to people. Poppy and Father Sevino always said to have trust and faith in your loved ones, and I trust Lee and Ed."
"I could care less either way," said Kevin as he took a drink of his soda.
"No worries here!" yelled Johnny is his ordinarily exuberant manner.
"Like whatever," said Nazz, "It's not like we have to best friends."
"MY SWEET BABUSHKA!" yelled the voice of Rolf as he suddenly made his way between Johnny and Nazz. The tall boy passed between them at a high rate of speed, parting the teenagers as if he were Moses parting the Red Sea, knocking them backwards and causing them to spill some of their drinks.
"Oh God..." said Lindsay in a quiet manner as she observed Rolf approach at a rapid pace. In an instant, Rolf had grabbed her in a tight squeeze, picking her up while spinning her around the room at what seemed like light speed.
"Rolf is pleased to see his Beautiful Schmetlockin welcomed into Rolf's band of brethren," said Rolf, "Please forgive Rolf for any wrongdoings, and accept his apology and willingness to bring peace with the dance of many joys!"
The entire room observed as Rolf proceeded to spin Lindsay around the Kankers den. He completed five rapid turns, after which point he placed the slightly dizzy Lindsay back onto her feet in a gentle manner. Lee giggled slightly as Lindsay regained her composure, adopting a serious expression as she glanced into Rolf's eyes.
"You don't need to apologize for anything Rolf," said Lindsay, "I used you for my own selfish gain, without even caring one bit about your feelings until it was too late. You are a really sweet guy, and I have to admit the time we spent together was quite fun. Plus, I really appreciated the carving you made of me, nobody has ever taken the time to do that for me before. For all it's worth, it's displayed front and center on the shelf above my bed."
Lindsay took a few more steps towards Rolf.
"But let me be honest," said Lindsay, "I've been through a lot over the past few months, and I need some time to recuperate and get back into the swing of things with my own life. I don't think I'm ready to have a boyfriend yet, but that doesn't mean I won't want to eventually. I would really like to start over with you as a close friend, if that's okay with you.
Rolf appeared slightly disheartened at Lindsay's explanation for a few moments,matter which he managed to muster a slight smile.
"Rolf appreciates your honesty," said Rolf, "There is much honor in that yes. Anyway, Rolf desires a new friend as well and agrees with your proposition."
Rolf turned away from Lindsay, and began making his way back toward the snack table.
"Rolf shall leave you to the throws of the blood haired Kanker sister," said Rolf.
"Hold on," said Lindsay in a demanding yet playful manner, "I didn't say I was done with you yet, did I?"
Rolf turned back towards Lindsay, an expression of confusion on his face.
"Hello," said Lindsay, "Have you forgotten something? I was elected winter ball queen yesterday, but I left before I had the opportunity to share a dance with the boy of my choice."
Lindsay poked Rolf in the chest playfully.
"Well I'm making my choice buddy boy," said Lindsay in a demanding manner, "You owe me a dance to a song of my choice. I expect you to ask me by the end of tonight, take it as your Christmas present to me."
Lindsay's bold proposition managed to draw a slight heartfelt smile from the foreign boy. The two teenagers remained locked in their gaze for a few moments, both smiling dreamily, at which point Lee rolled her eyes while making her way towards them.
"Alright you two," said Lee, "Enough sexual tension for one night, let's break it up and start the party!"
Lindsay, appearing slightly embarrassed, turned away from Rolf and gazed towards the floor while blushing. Rolf turned away as well, making his way back toward the snack table as he happily hummed a folk song from his home country.
Lindsay proceeded to retake her place next to Lee, gazing upon her giggling friend with an expression that seemed to portray playful annoyance. After a few seconds, the sound of an individual uttering a slight "ahem" seemed to emanate from the area of her left side, drawing the tall girls attention away from Lee.
As Lindsay turned head to left, she found herself gazing down into Marie's single exposed green eye. The black haired girl appeared much more calm than she had a few minutes ago, albeit still somewhat annoyed regarding the current situation.
"Let me make one thing clear," said Marie, "I am doing this for Lee, and Lee only. It's going to take a while for me to fully forgive and trust you, given the fact that you verbally tortured me since I was six years old."
"Understood," said Lindsay with an expression of concern, "I know I could never take any of that back, but I'm sorry none the less. I hope one day we can put all of that behind us for good."
Marie lifted her hand towards Lindsay, offering up a handshake.
"For now...truce?" said Marie.
"Truce." said Lindsay as she responded with a handshake.
After a quick handshake, Marie turned away from her former nemesis and began making her way across the room towards Double Dee. She proceeded into the cooler, retrieve a can of soda. After cracking it open, she took her place next to her boyfriend leaning on the table as she observed Lee and Lindsay exchange playful banter.
"Well this is certainly a remarkable turn of events!" said Double Dee in an exuberant manner.
"C'mon Double Dee," said Marie as she turned toward him with a flirty smile, "Don't play dumb, I know you are behind this. You broke your promise to wait until after the holidays and pulled some kind of shenanigan to bring the two back together behind my back."
"I most certainly did not!" said Double Dee, "I can guarantee that I provided absolutely no intervention with regards to this issue."
"Seriously?" asked Marie, "How the hell did this happen? I mean I'm not complaining, I love seeing Lee happy. Seeing those two smiling and laughing together again is like looking into the past, back when we were kindergarteners. I just never thought it would happen out of blue like this."
"Perhaps it's just as you stated at the Christmas parade," said Double Dee, "Trusting in faith and the spirit of the holiday seems to have paid off, as things have finally 'fallen into place', so to speak."
"I suppose," said Marie, "Nothing left to do but to enjoy the party. I'm going to go grab some more cookies, be right back!"
As Marie took her leave, heading towards the stairs leading toward the upper level to retrieve the cookies. Double Dee took his place alongside his oafish friend Ed, and initiated a conversation.
"Well Ed," said Double Dee, "It appears that the spirit of the season is shining on the cul-de-sac after all."
"Yeah," said Ed, attempting to speak around a mouthful of chips, "It's good."
Double Dee sighed.
"Unfortunately, there is still the matter of explaining to Marie that despite my best efforts, I was unable to afford her present." said Double Dee, "After performing some research, I have discovered that even with the unexpected double pay generously provided by Mr. Nicklaus, it is not nearly enough to cover the costs of Marie's surgery."
Ed swallowed his chips, listening to his friends story while simultaneously adopting a melancholy expression.
"I can only hope that she will understand," said Double Dee, "Heaven knows I tried."
Double Dee paused for a few moments, observing Lee and Lindsay conversing exuberantly.
"Nevertheless, I am glad that all of that ugly, nonsensical fighting is now behind us," said Double Dee, "But I can't help but wonder, what could have possibly drove this sudden change in dynamic between the two?"
Ed shrugged his shoulders as he shoved another helping of chips into his mouth, continuing to observe the happy duo alongside his friend. Unbeknownst to Lee and Lindsay, the two had another distant observer. Eddy had taken up post near the corner of the room to retrieve ice from a separate cooler for his drink. He stood with his legs crossed, casually leaning against the wall with a grin as he cradled a red cup in his right hand. The boy proceeded to take a small sip of his drink, at which point he uttered a few words to himself.
"Merry Christmas Lindsay," said Eddy, "And Merry Christmas to you Lee...I love you more than anything babe."
Just as Eddy completed his sentence, the bright sound of the Kankers doorbell, in the tune of "Westminster Quarters" pierced through the house. This was soon followed by the shrill voice of Tabby, echoing from the level above.
"Kids, come on in to the living room, our special guest has arrived!" yelled Tabby, signaling all of the kids on the upper level to gather in the living room. She soon made her way down the stairs to the lower level, and excitedly poked her head around the corner and into the den.
"Girls, gather your friends and come upstairs!" said Tabby, "Santa's here!"
As Tabby took her leave, the teenagers of the cul-de-sac proceeded to follow her upstairs. While most had grown out of their belief in Santa Claus, all were nevertheless excited to share the holiday joy of the jolly mans visit with their friends.
